Hello,

I have 99 convertible 911

After i go through the car wash there is smoke/ steam for about 5 minutes coming out of the back grill/ vent. What is this? Is this bad?

How do i wash my 911 safely ?

Please advise, thx

Justin

 

pretty obvious its steam coming from the underwater splashing up on the warm underparts around the engine compartment. MOst 996 owners would not use the auto car wash and prefer to do it by hand. I have had mine through twice in the last 2 years and thats for an undercar blast to shift any salt which i may pick up during the winter months. Thats all it is. No problem really.

 

What he said, I would wash by hand.

 

warm water + hot engine = steam

 

wash by hand. that top will last much longer. automatic car wash puts swirls on the paint too.

 

Not going to hurt it. I use one all the time in the winter. Just steam from the engine. I also have a Fabspeed intake...it is never wet when I check it after the wash.

 

Keep it clean, spray it with water, wipe it down. Wash your convertible top a couple of times a year and protect it with convertible top protector (raggtopp is best). Stay out of automatic drive-through car washes as you don't have a clue what's in the water.

 

OMG seriously!!!! Running a 911 through a auto car wash? Heaven forbid, what is this world coming to? This is a handmade craftsmanship from Das Fatherland. Blasphemy! Please no more stories about running a 911 through a carwash! Please!!!!

 

I hope you guys are joking. Running a $100k car through a car wash is blasphemy?! It is not good for it? Please give me a break. These cars aren't made of some unobtanium from outer space, and are getting to be 8-10 years old anyway.

I run it through the brushless auto car wash often and then wipe down the excess water. I do notice the steam as well, never thought it was alarming.

 

It's actually not good to run any car through an automatic car wash. Don't get me wrong - sometimes it's the only choice. The problem for a Porsche or any other car is that there are frequently harsh chemicals used in touch-less car washes, as well as very high water pressures. These things combine to strip the wax off your finish, leaving your paint unprotected. They also make swirl marks appear, even though no brushes touch the paint.

Sometimes in the crappy winter weather months, you have to use the automatic car wash. You just need to be aware that it will result in more work when you do a proper detail job in the spring.

We had a warm enough day yesterday (42 F) that I was able to hand wash my C4S in the driveway. I prefer waiting for those days instead of going through an automatic wash.

 

Really? Car wash I love my 996 ...enough said! And it was 32* here.

 

I live in apartment complex with underground parking and a car wash ban (unless you're interested in using the waterless car wash service provided by the building management) regular use of non contact car washes and no finish issues.

 

What color is your car? On my Midnight Blue Metallic C4S, the touch-less car washes leave swirl marks. I think that they strip off the wax that fills these tiny scratches, exposing them again. I don't think it damages my finish, it just makes more work for me later.

 

05 CTT Jarama Beige
09 CGTS GTS Red
09 CTT Nordic Gold
03 C4S Arctic Silver

In general mine get a contactless (with hand finish and vacuum) wash every other week, a full top and bottom hand/ pressure wash every couple of months and a full detail every year, never really see any swirling.